Automatic valve for building roof drain downspouts



March 27, 1962 E. J. MCCARTHY 3,026,893

' AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR BUILDING ROOF DRAIN DOWNSPOUTS Filed Nov. 7, 1960 ATTORIVIY United States Patent 3,026,893 AUTOMATIC VALVE FER BUILDING ROOF DRAIN DOWNSPOUTS Edward]. McCarthy, 19209 Ryan Road, Detroit, Mich. Filed Nov. 7, 1961), Ser. No. 67,796 2 Claims. ((31. 137119) This invention relates to an automatic valve for building roof drain downspouts permitting light rainfalls to enter the sewer and side tracking heavy rainfalls to eliminate sewer flooding and consequent back-ups.

Downspout valves have been employed heretofore, however, the several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as they are complicated in design and construction, expensive to manufacture, difl'icult to install, and unsatisfactory in use.

With the foregoing in view, the primary object of the invention is to provide a downspout valve which is simple in design and construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and satisfactory in use.

An object of the invention is to provide standard insertable pipe section having the valve integrated therein so as to be easily connectible to the downspout.

An object of the invention is to provide a self-positioning butterfly valve in the insertable section which is actuated by the volume of the rainfall-when heavy to move to the closed position blocking water delivery to the sewer.

An object of the invention is to provide side-wall apertures in the downspout section for delivering the water to atmosphere when the valve is in the closed position.

An object of the invention is to provide a combination spacer arm and actuating weight biasing the valve to the normally open position and spacing same at the proper angle for actuation to the closed position by a heavy volume of water.

An object of the invention is to provide a butterfly valve in a downspout section so angled and spaced in the normally open position that light rainfall readily by-passes the valve and enters the sewer system.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description of a downspout valve embodying the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a building showing the roof, gutter, downspout, and valve section elements.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical crosssectional view of the insertable valve section seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view of the device seen in -FIG. 2 taken at right angles to FIG. 2 showing the interior parts in dotted lines; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken on the line 44 thereof.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the downspout valve assembly disclosed therein to illustrate the invention comprises a pipe section 11 insertable in the downspout 12 on a building 13 leading from the gutter 14 and roof 15.

More particularly, the downspout valve assembly 10 comprises the insertable pipe section 11 which is equipped with at least one side wall opening 16, a pivot rod 17 disposed between the side walls of the section 11 facing sidewise relative to the opening 16, a butterfly valve plate 18 pivotally disposed on the rod 17, and a combination spacer-weight 19 fixed to the bottom portion of the valve plate 18.

The normal position of the valve is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 wherein the spacer-weight 19 moves the valve plate 18 to the dotted line position which is approximately 10 degrees oil the vertical and it will be noted that the valve plate 18 is elliptical in conformation so as to abut the circular sidewalls in the pipe section 11 when in the angular closed position shown in the solid lines of the figures.

Under normal conditions the weighted spacer 19 moves the valve plate 18 to the dotted line position of FIG. 2 and properly locates and spaces the valve at the preferred 10 degree angulation to the vertical whereupon lightiflow of water through the pipe section 11 by-passes the plate 18 and enters the sewer system.

Conversely, when a heavy rainfall and a large volume of water is traveling through the pipe section 11 the volume of water contacts the plate 18 in the dotted line angulation position seen in FIG. 2 and moves the valve plate 18 to the solid line position blocking the flow of water through the pipe and venting it to atmosphere through the opening 16. The device will stay in this position until the large volume of water has terminated whereupon, the weighted spacer 19 moves the valve plate 18 back to the dotted line position to allow light volumes of water to travel to the sewer.

While the pipe section 11 has been shown as circular and the valve plate 18 as elliptical, it will be understood that the pipe section 11 can be other shapes, such as rectangular, and that the valve plate 18 will be formed to coordinate to the shape of the section 11.

The device is easily installed; the user cuts a section from the downspout 12 and inserts the valve section 10 therein and the device is ready for operation.

In operation with light water being conducted in the downspout 12, the valve plate 18 remains in the dotted line position of FIG. 2 whereas, with heavy water flow through the downspout 12 the valve plate 18 moves automatically to the solid line position of FIG. 2 blocking the heavy flow of water to the sewer and venting same to atmosphere through opening 16. Upon the heavy volume of water terminating the valve plate 18 is moved automatically back to the dotted line position of FIG. 2 and properly spaced by the weighted spacer 19.

The inventive downspout valve with these features constitutes a compact, durable, and neat appearing mechanism easily installed in a downspout and eliminates heavy rainfall from entering and overloading the sewer system thereby preventing sewer backups and overflow.

Although but a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, detail, and arrangement of the various elements of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A safety device mountable on a downspout drain pipe leading from the roof a building to a sewer system for permitting light water volume from light rainfalls to flow into the sewer and preventing heavy water volume from heavy rainfalls from entering the sewer to eliminate sewer flooding and consequent backups comprising a pipe section having at least one sidewall opening communicating to atmosphere on one side thereof, a pivot rod across said pipe section sidewise opposite said pipe opening, a butterfly valve plate pivotally disposed on said rod across said pipe section adapted to move between an open and a closed position; said plate having a short dimension along said rod to avoid contact with said pipe in pivotmg and a long dimension transverse to said rod for contacting said pipe in pivoting; said rod, plate, and pipe openings being so coordinated that said plate in the closed position abuts said pipe section below said pipe section opening and slants upwardly therefrom to the opposite side of said pipe so as to constitute a cross-chute lea-ding to said pipe section opening; and a spacer arm on said plate on the side thereof adjacent said pipe section opening adapted by its weight to cause said plate to pivot to the open position and by its length to locate said plate at an angle toward the closed position for engaging water running through said pipe section; said plate in its normally open position being capable of by-passing light water flow and being capable of engaging heavy Water flow; said plate being adapted to pivot to said closed position upon engaging heavy water flow to close on. communication through said pipe section and to act as an inclined chute directing water to said pipe section opening; said plate being adapted to return to its normal open properly angled position via the biasing Weight of said spacer arm pivoting said plate and abutting said pipe section.

2. A safety device mountable on downspout drain pipe comprising a pipe section having at least one side wall opening communicating to atmosphere on one side thereof, a butterfly valve plate pivotally disposed across said pipe section opposite said opening adapted to move between an open and a closed position; said plate having a short dimension along its pivotal axis to avoid contact with said pipe in pivoting and a long dimension transverse to its pivotal axis for contacting said pipe in pivoting; said plate, and pipe openings being so coordinated that said plate in the closed position abuts said pipe section below said pipe section opening and slants upwardly therefrom to the opposite side of said pipe so as to constitute a cross-chute leading to said pipe section opening; and a spacer arm on said plate adapted by its weight to cause said plate to pivot to the open position and by its length to locate said plate at an angle toward the closed position for engaging water running through said pipe section; said plate in its normally open angled position being capable of by-passing light water flow and being capable of engaging heavy water flow; said plate being adapted to pivot to said closed position upon engaging heavy water flow to close ofi communication through said pipe section to a sewer and to act as an incline chute directing Water to said pipe section opening; said plate being adapted to return to its normally open properly angled position via the biasing weight of said spacer arm pivoting said plate and abutting said pipe section.

Stephenson May 16, 1911 Smith Mar. 29, 1960 

